I am a recovering coupon queen. Yes, I was one of “those people.” I had bookshelves dedicated to my stocks of razors, shampoos, and hair dyes. I had buckets of toothpaste. I had a 5 inch zippered binder that held all of my coupons in neatly organized card pages so heavy it set off my airbag alarm. I was addicted to the show Extreme Couponing. I even went dumpster diving at the local dump (once). I was a mess.

I left that life once I went hippie. I started making my own toothpaste, so I stopped purchasing it from the store. I made my lotions and my deodorant and I stopped dying my hair. I stopped buying the Sunday paper, but I still love a good deal and happily use coupons whenever I can.

So let me tell you just how happy I am that Groupon now has coupons for major retailers! For instance, Shutterfly has 13 coupon deals right now – including signing up with Shutterfly and getting a custom magnet, address labels, and 50 4×6 prints, all for free! I love Shutterfly’s frequent deals featuring free prints, but I have never seen one with free prints plus free address labels and a magnet!

Overstock.com has Groupon Coupons right now. I will tell you, my favorite set of sheets came from Overstock and I absolutely love the quality. Their deals are already great, but through the end of the month they have up to 70% off their inventory. I see great deals for everything from furniture to jewelry to clothing – and with free shipping!

If you’re traveling, the Marriott has special deals, including saving 20% off room rates and a free breakfast.

I love holiday shopping, and can’t stand paying full price for anything. Be sure to check out Groupon Coupons before you purchase anything online to make sure you are getting the very best deal!

I used to use coupons extensively. My coupon binder was so big and heavy the air bag sensor thought it was a person if I happened to put it on a seat. True story.

Since I became more of a hippie and less excited about saving coupons for things I didn’t use, I’ve seen and tried several ways to save money at the grocery store. Lately, my routine has involved the use of 3 (free!) apps. This takes less than 5 minutes and I’ve already gotten $10+ back!

When I return from my shopping, I first log on to Receipt Hog and upload a picture of the receipt. As you upload pictures consistently, you earn coins that can be traded in for PayPal cash or Amazon gift cards.

Next, I log on to the ibotta app, and I look through the rebates available for where I shop. In St. Louis, I attempted this but since Aldi wasn’t an available store, I never used the app. The grocery stores here in town participate, so this time it’s lots of fun! There is usually at least one rebate I can use. They usually have rebates on fresh produce! My favorite deal so far was when I purchased day old bread for $0.50 and there was a $0.25 rebate for any loaf. Score! *Note: I intentionally do not look at the ibotta rebates before shopping, as I don’t want to buy something just to make money back.* Money is given in gift card form, or paid to a PayPal account. Sign up now and get an instant $10 when you redeem your first rebate!

Finally, I head over to my Walmart app and scan the code. The app searches the Internet to check for the best prices, and gives me back the difference if they find a better price. I just started using this probably 3 weeks ago and have made over $6 just by scanning a couple QR codes. The money is given in Walmart e-gift cards.

None of these will get me the savings of extreme couponing, but I’m making healthy choices for my family and I get to save money without clipping coupons!

Yes, it’s true. I used to be an extreme couponer. I spent hours each week clipping, organizing, planning, and executing my multiple-transaction purchases. I had enough deodorant, shampoo, hair dye, toothpaste, and non-perishable food products to last me a good 3 years.

When you make your own toothpaste and deodorant because you are concerned about toxic chemical overload, $0.25 toothpaste isn’t a draw anymore. And unfortunately, most places don’t have extreme coupon scenarios for their coconut oil.

Here are 6 things I’ve learned since transitioning to the bright side:

Occasionally, there are coupons for organic produce. I have found coupons for organic salad greens, nuts, peppers, and more. I have also written to companies and they have sent me coupons for free products as well as $ off coupons. Target’s Cartwheel app also frequently has deals on produce.

Organic is becoming more widespread, so places like WalMart and Aldi now carry organic produce, organic/gluten-free boxed food, and even organic coconut oil! At my last trip to Aldi I noticed they have a bag of organic quinoa for less than $3. Brilliance, I tell you.

It is much more convenient to make your own care products than to spend hours searching for free toothpaste. Because after so many hours of clipping/planning/driving/shopping, was it really free? I discovered a couple one-time investments in ingredients made it possible for me to mix up toothpaste for myself and my husband for two years! Plus when you realize at 11pm that you’re out of toothpaste, it’s much faster to mix up a quick batch than to get dressed, run to the store, pick out the toothpaste, drive back from the store, brush your teeth, and get back in your pajamas. Just sayin.

I can use the creativity and problem solving skills I learned while planning my coupon trips to find creative ways to save on organic food. For example, I learned to buy organic for free.

Use coupons for other things. I still use coupons for clothes, books, toys, and everything else. Just not to the extreme, because I do not need 10 bath towels.